Senate FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2016
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 114 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 162 WASHINGTON, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2016 No. 178 House of Representatives The House was not in session today. Its next meeting will be held on Monday, December 12, 2016, at 3 p.m. Senate FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2016 The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was lic for which it stands, one nation under God, overwhelmingly rejected that ap- called to order by the President pro indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. proach. tempore (Mr. HATCH). f The funding in this CR is critical to our Nation’s defense. It supports over- f RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY seas operations, the fight against ISIL, PRAYER LEADER and our forces in Afghanistan. It pro- The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. vides resources to begin implementing fered the following prayer: CAPITO). The majority leader is recog- the medical innovation bill we passed Let us pray. nized. earlier this week and to start bringing relief to victims of severe flooding Great and eternal God, we refuse to f forget Your generous blessings that across our country, and of course it in- bring joy to our lives. You satisfy us REMEMBERING JOHN GLENN cludes provisions that will guarantee that retired coal miners in Kentucky— with good things in every season. We Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, particularly thank You for the laud- we were saddened yesterday to learn of in Kentucky—and other States will not able life of former Senator John Glenn. the passing of one of the most iconic lose their health benefits at the end of Lord, You have not dealt with us ac- figures of the 20th century, John this month. Would I have preferred cording to our sins. Continue to sus- Glenn. He described his childhood as that provision to be more generous? Of course I would have. My request to the tain our lawmakers. Remind them that being like something out of a Norman House was to fund it for a full year, but their days are like grass, which flour- Rockwell painting, but as we all know, we will be back at it in April, and I ishes and then disappears. May they his life was anything but ordinary. think it is highly unlikely that we will find sustenance in Your steadfast love, This smalltown boy from New Concord, take it away—just as I would have pre- striving to please You in all they do. OH, came a long way and lived a full ferred that so many miners’ places of Give them the wisdom of a reverential life, one that touched many and will employment hadn’t been driven into awe that will trust the unfolding of not soon be forgotten. bankruptcy in recent years, which as Your majestic providence even when Elaine and I send our condolences to we all know is due in no small part to they do not understand Your move- his wife Annie and the rest of the President Obama, his policies, and the ments. Glenn family. overwhelming majority of Senate Lord, we thank You for the faithful f Democrats who support all those poli- service through the decades of Your cies that have been a huge factor in LEGISLATION BEFORE THE servant, Senator HARRY REID. As he creating the dilemma we have in coal SENATE prepares to transition from the legisla- country in Ohio, Kentucky, West Vir- tive branch, give to him and his be- Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, ginia. Most of the Senate Democrats loved Landra fair winds and following yesterday the House passed a con- support the war on coal. seas. tinuing resolution on a very large bi- It has been my intention that the We pray in Your great Name. Amen. partisan basis, with more than three- miner health benefits not expire at the f fourths voting in its favor. end of April next year. As I just said, I Let me repeat that. Three-fourths, a am going to work with my colleagues PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE majority of both parties, voted for the to prevent that, but this is a good time The President pro tempore led the legislation needed to keep the govern- to take yes for an answer. We should Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: ment open. While some Senate Demo- pass the CR without delay because if I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the crats may want to delay into a govern- we don’t pass the CR, the health bene- United States of America, and to the Repub- ment shutdown, House Democrats fits will go away at the end of this ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S6931 . VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:31 Dec 11, 2016 Jkt 069060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4637 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A09DE6.000 S09DEPT1 rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with SENATE S6932 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 9, 2016 month. The House is gone. They are were looking, asked if he would auto- I am not going to go over the list of through for this session. graph for them just a piece of paper his many awards. The Distinguished Failure to pass this legislation means they had, and he did that. Everyplace Flying Cross is really a big deal in the delaying funding for our troops over- we went, in Poland—we were all Sen- military. He was awarded one six seas. Failure to pass this means delay- ators, but there was only one John times. ing funding for Flint, MI. I promised Glenn. Everyplace we went, he was be- Madam President, I ask unanimous Senator STABENOW we would deal with loved. He really was an icon. consent that a listing of the many that issue, and we have, in the WRDA In reading the morning newspaper, I awards he received, including the Con- bill and the CR that are here, having was disappointed it had a headline, gressional Gold Medal, be printed in passed the House. Failure to pass this John Glenn known for his space ex- the RECORD. legislation means delaying funding for ploits. John Glenn was known for far There being no objection, the mate- storm recovery in many of our States, more than that. Of course, he was our rial was ordered to be printed in the and of course failure to pass this legis- first to circumvent the globe. He told RECORD, as follows: lation means creating a shutdown of all of us he wore that space capsule, it Distinguished Flying Cross, six different the government. Over what? We have was so small. In all the news last night, times, funded health care for miners through it showed him climbing into that. If Navy Unit Commendation for service in the end of April. We have funding in you were claustrophobic, you could not Korea, The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, here for the opioid crisis and a whole get in that, it was so tight. He could The American Campaign Medal, lot of other things that Senators say reach out and touch both sides of it. The World War II Victory Medal, they care about. They want to shut the Here this great aviator told me and The China Service Medal, government down to stop this? Really. whoever else was listening that when The National Defense Service Medal, It hardly makes sense to me. In fact, that came down in the ocean, if they The Korean Service Medal, The United Nations Service Medal, passing this CR guarantees that health had waited another minute to pick him The Korean Presidential Unit Citation, care will be there for miners through up, he would have had to throw up. The Navy’s Astronaut Wings, the end of April. It guarantees it. Fail- Here was a guy who never got sick any The Marine Corps’ Astronaut Medal, ure to pass it guarantees it goes away time, but he was getting sick then. The NASA Distinguished Service Medal, at the end of the month. I have so many fond memories of The Congressional Space Medal of Honor, John Glenn. He was so nice to me, as The Congressional Gold Medal, I think it is time to get serious. I and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. think we all don’t want any of these he was nice to everyone. He was an ace Mr. REID. Madam President, after a consequences to come about. The thing in World War II, a fighter pilot. He was quarter of a century, Senator Glenn to do is to pass this continuing resolu- an ace in the Korean conflict. I think left the Senate, and here is what he tion. After we pass that, we will turn he had 90 missions there. This may said: ‘‘Yeah, I’ll miss it, sure. But you to the water resources development upset some people, but it is a fact of move on to other things. That’s it.’’ bill. The House overwhelmingly passed war—war is tough. We were having a That was John Glenn. He moved on the bipartisan water resources develop- debate here on napalm, and someone asked John Glenn: Did you ever use to other things. ment bill as well, with more than Until a couple of years ago, he flew three-fourths in its favor. It was over- that in World War II? He said: Yes, we did. his own airplane. When he was a Mem- whelming on both sides of the aisle.